Search This Blog

Subscribe to this blog

Follow Me by Email

Psalm 95 — A Call To Praise The Lord, Part 1

At the top of this psalm, my Bible says "A call to praise the Lord." This simple phrase stirs us up and tells us the writer's exact purpose for penning these words. What better use of our pens and our voices than to give God the honor, glory and praise due Him?

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. V1

The first thing we need to notice about this opening verse is that it's not one single person chosen to praise God. Us, us, our - these plural words make it obvious that as a collective couple, family, church, community, nation and world, we are to burst forth in song. This pleasure isn't reserved for someone smarter, more talented or more spiritual, but the desire to give praise and celebrate the Lord's goodness is for every one of us.

The second half of this verse is one we musicians think is ironic. Noise and music don't usually work in harmony, but "loud and unpleasant" isn't the definition here. If it was, we would be describing people who can't carry a tune in a bucket and those who can't even play the radio. Instead, noise here is "a sound that suggests an emotion or quality." The sounds we make in praise can be nothing but joyful because they reflect the God who has blessed us beyond measure.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. V2

Every time we step into the presence of the Lord, our humble hearts should have no choice but to give thanks. We are among the most blessed people on the face of the planet — we could spend every day for the rest of our lives doing nothing but rejoicing, and it still wouldn't be enough. The first thought in our minds, and the first words out of our mouths, should always be gratitude for the mercy and grace we have been blessed with by a God who loves us more than we can ever understand.

And any time God repeats something in Scripture, it's because it is vitally important. So having "joyful noise" in two verses in a row should tell us that He wants to hear more noise and more rejoicing. Whatever you're doing now to praise Him, do it more! And not with just any words, but with psalms. Choose from the 150 poems in the Bible or try writing your own. Either way, they will express your intimate relationship with the Lord and give an account of how blessed you've been.

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. V3

This is it. This is the truth we keep searching for even though it's right in front of us. If we removed all the background noise and took away all the "stuff" from our faith, this one simple sentence could be our meditation from now until we're called home. Sometimes we pile so much extra onto ourselves, so much that weighs us down instead of setting us free. If we could just return to the simplicity of recognizing God as great, as above all else. He is Lord, He is King and He is greatly to be praised. That's all there is to it.

In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. V4

He created, He controls and He concludes. Our circumstances, the world around us and the plans for the days to come are all in His hands. So yes, the children's song is literal — He's got the whole world in His hands. From the lowest places to the highest hills, our God brought them into being, and He is intimately familiar with them all. And if this is how He is described interacting with nature, imagine how much deeper His relationship is with us. Things that are out of our reach and beyond the scope of our understanding were once just thoughts in His mind before He formed them. There is no one else who can claim that ability, and it's just one more reason to praise the works of His hands.

The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. V5

Turn back for a moment and reread Genesis 1:1-31. Where there was nothing, God made something. Where there was darkness, He made light. Where there was just air, He separated out land and sea. Where there were empty places, He filled them with creatures and people. Even when the Lord gave Adam the honor of naming all these creations, He still reserved them for Himself. His hands touched the water and filled it with fish. The land that was just grass and sand was soon covered with animals of every kind. His power of creation alone is worthy of our praise, and it is fitting that we return thanks to our creator for placing us here for His purpose.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One of the characteristics of a woman who is leading a victorious Christian life is virtue. A virtuous woman is willing to conform to both moral and divine law, someone who glows with purity and goodness. Sounds like an overwhelming goal, doesn't it? Well, just like everything else in our lives, God has given us exactly what we need to triumph in the virtues He would have us attain.

"And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman" (Ruth 3:11).

Ruth was a poor widow, one who chose to leave her native Moab for her mother-in-law's home town of Bethlehem. She was given the choice to stay behind, but her relationship with Naomi was more important. Ruth was devoted to both her former family and the new family that would greet them (Ruth 4:15).

While she was forced to work in the fields to supply the household's needs, Ruth worked with diligence and stamina. In the second cha…

You can hear the rushing water from far away. It's a sound like no other, the music of a creek tripping over the rocks. This melody means fresh water, clean water, a way to quench the thirst that comes from traveling.

The moving, dancing water calls to the heart. You know the sound means water, and you want to be close to it. It is pleasant to the eye, a joy to the ear and peaceful to the soul. You want to sit there, listening and breathing in the sights and sounds that have pulled you away from the dirt and grime of the world.As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalm 42:1

As the heart is pulled to the rushing water, it is pulled even more to be close to the Lord. The creek may satisfy thirst for a time, but God will satisfy our soul's longing for all eternity. When we've been roughed up from a day in the world, what a soothing time it is to sit alone in the presence of the Lord.

Today's the day that Stuff From Trees introduces four new product lines! Come visit our booth at Santa's Workshop to see all of them and get some of your Christmas shopping done early. All the details about where and when are at the bottom of this post.

#1 - Our Christmas line. We have ornaments, notebooks, stocking stuffers, Secret Santa gifts and all the holiday gift packaging you need. Wouldn't it be great to walk out of the show with several names checked off your list?

#2 - Our Handwritten line. Give gift sets of journals and pens, plus lots of handmade greeting cards in a variety of themes. You may decide you want to keep some for yourself, too, especially when you have a new pen to write with.

#3 - Our Scrabble line. While the journals are my favorite (come see them for yourself and you'll understand why), we can spell out words and phrases just for you in a variety of ways. We love custom orders here at Stuff From Trees - ask us about it!

I truly believe that Christian women can be whole, happy, content and busy - all at the same time. There are times when we all feel overwhelmed by the burdens of everyday life, but our circumstances should never steal away the joy of our walk with God. We can live a victorious Christian life no matter what comes our way.

Through the Bible in a Year

December 13

Daily reading: Philemon

Daily writing: When Paul wrote to Philemon, he made sure to tell him that he was thanking God for Philemon every time he prayed (Philemon v4). In your own prayer time, do you take time to simply thank God for placing people in your life, or are you usually making requests for them?